Hermetically sealed container



March 23, 1965 F. R. EDGARTON HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTAINER Filed May 22, 1962 lNVENToR. Aem/M e 50G/m ro# BY wub., L/7

fr rra ,eA/frs United States Patent O 3,174,620 HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTAINER Frank R. Edgarton, Inglewood, Calif., assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Filed May 22, 1962, Ser. No. 196,836 7 Claims. (Cl. 206-1) This invention relates to containers used to house delicate instruments and control devices. More specically, this invention relates to containers for housing in a controlled environment, electromechanical control devices such as used on ballistic missiles.

Electromechanical devices, used to control ballistic missiles, are relatively small and extremely complex mechanisms requiring the optimum in reliability. Such devices contain many small watch-like parts including gearing which are susceptible to blockage by even a minute foreign particle. Great care must be exercised not only in their manufacture and adjustment, but also in providing the necessary particle-free operational environment.

Electromechanical devices, such as used for controlling ballistic missiles, are preferably constructed as open as possible in order to make manual adjustments while assembling the various elements. This open type construction is likewise advantageous for visual inspections and subsequent adjustments.

The devices must be housed'in a particle-free container; in an inert atmosphere. The container must provide an adequate support, must provide adequate protection, must be hermetically sealable, and must be closable Without danger of introducing particles abraded from the container itself.

A first object of this invention is to provide a container for protecting delicate electromechanical devices.

Another object of this invention is to provide a container which may be hermetically sealed and re-opened without abrading material from the container itself.

Additional objects, advantages and features reside in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts involved in the embodiment of the invention as will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein: j

FIG. l is a plan View of the container;

FIG. 2 is a sectional elevation along line 2-2 of FIG. l and showing in phantom a typical electromechanical device within the container; and,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section of FIG. 2 showing construction details on the perimeter of the upper end disk and the seat on the container shell.

Referring to the drawing, the container comprises essentially a container shell member 12, a lower end disk member 14 and an upper end disk member 16. Externally joined to the container shell 12 are a plurality of mounting lugs 18 which are suitable for mounting the container to the missile. Internally joined to the container shell 12 are a plurality of attaching lugs 20, each lug having a tapped hole 22 parallel to the axis of con- -tainer shell 12.

The container shell, which may be made of high grade seamless steel tubing, and which is heat treated during the course of manufacture for additional hardness, has two identically machined ends, one of which will be described.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, each end of container shell member 12 has a smoothly iinished internally formed seat diameter 24 coaxial with the axis of the shell and somewhat larger in diameter than the internal diameter of the shell. The internal end of seat diameter 24 terminates in a relief 26, as shown on FIG. 3. Extending outwardly from seat diameter 24 to the end of the ice shell is tapered portion 28 which is used when installing end disk 16 in a manner to be hereinafter described.

The lower end disk 14 and the upper end disk 16, each of which are plano disks formed of high grade steel, and which may be heat treated if desired, have diameters slightly greater than seat diameters 24. The perimeters of the disks are semicircular in form, as best shown on FIG. 3. The end disks may be forced into the tapered portion 28 of the container shell until they seat against seat diameters 24, as best shown on FIG. 3, with an interference t to provide an extremely tight seal stressing the disks radially in the plane of the disk. The structural form of the perimeters on the disks, acting against the seat diameters of the container shell, is such that it will not produce metal abrading when the elements are forced together.

Referring specifically to FIG. 2, a typical electromechanical device 30, illustrated in phantom, is shown within the container 11B where it is attached to attaching lugs 20 by means of screws 32, which engage the tapped holes 22 in lugs 20. External electrical connection may be made through a conventional pin and socket connector, many brands and types of which are well known to the the art and which form no part of this invention. The female or socket half 34 is hermetically joined to the upper end disk 16 and is wired to the electromechanical device 30 by means of suitable wiring 36. A suitable charging valve 38 is also hermetically joined to the upper end disk 16.

On assembly, the electromechanical device is attached within the container shell and the end disks forced into place. As state above, the disks have an interference tit with the container shell to form a hermetically sealed unit. By proper use of charging valve 3S, the container may be evacuated of its air and recharged with a suitable gas such as nitrogen. When necessary to re-open the container, the end disks may be removed by increasing the gas pressure within the container to a pressure suiiicient to push out the disks. The lower disk may be held in piace to assure removal of the upper disk.

If desired, the disks may be soldered in place after they have been forced into the container shell. The upper disk may easily be removed by placing the upper end of the container into the field of an induction heating coil which will melt the solder, thus allowing the increased gas pressure within the container to push the disk from the shell.

It is to be understood that the embodiment of the present invention as shown and illustrated is to be regarded as illustrative only and that the invention is susceptible to variations, modifications and changes within the scope of the appended claims.

l claim:

1. A hermetically sealed container comprising: a metal cylindrical shell member having at each end an internally formed seat diameter coaxial with the axis of said shell member and two metal end disk members one each of which is removably contained within a seat diameter at opposite ends of said shell member, each of said disk members being in plano-form and having a free state diameter slightly greater than that of the mating seat diameter in said shell member for engaging the mating seat diameter in said shell member with an interference t stressing said disk member radially in the plane of the disk.

2. A hermetically sealed container in accordance with claim l in which the perimeter of each of said disk members is of semicircular form.

3. A hermetically sealed container for housing an electromechanical device or the like comprising: a metal cylindrical shell member having means joined to the internal wail thereof for supporting the electromechanical device and having at each end an internally formed seat diameter coaxial With-'the axis of said shell member, and two metal end disk members one each of which is removably contained Within a seat diameter at opposite ends of said shell member, each `of said disk members being in plano-form and having a free state diameter slightly greater than that of the mating seat diameter in said shell member for engaging the mating seat diameter in said shell member with an interference t stressing said disk member radially in the plane of the disk.

4. A hermetically sealed container in accordance with claim 3 in which the perimeter of each of said disk mem* bers is of semicircular form.

5 A hermetically sealed container comprising: a metal cylindrical shell member having at each end an internally formed seat diameter coaxial with the axis of said shell member, two metal end disk members one each ot which is removably contained within a seat diameter at opposite ends. of said shell member, each of said disk members being in plano-form'and having a free state diameter slightly greater than that of the mating seat diameter in said shell member for engaging the mating seat diameter in said shell member with an interference fit stressing said disk member radially in the plane of the disk, and a charging valve joined to said container for evacuating and charging said container with gas and for charging said container with gas to a sufficient pressure to separate said disk members from said shell member.

6. A hermeticallyA sealed container in accordance with claim 5 in which the perimeter of each of said disk members is of semicircular form.

7. A hermetically sealed container for housing an electromechanical device or the like comprising: a metal c lind'rical shell member having means joined to the internal wall thereof for supporting the electromechanical de- ,4 vice and having at each end an internally formed seat diameter coaxial with the axis of said shell member, two metal end disk members one each of which is removably contained within a seat diameter at opposite ends of said shell member, each of said disk members being in planoform and having a semicircular perimeter with a free state diameter slightly greater than that of the mating seat diameter in said shell member for engaging the mating seat diameter in said shell member with an interference it stressing said disk member radially in the plane of the disk, and a charging valve joined to said container for evacuating and charging said container with gas and for charging said container with gas to a suflicientpressure to separate said disk members from said shell member.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,068,193 7/13 Weil 220-89 1,509,288 9/24 Fralick 220--3.9 1,554,257 9/25 Buckley 206-15.1 1,727,075 V9/29 McGarvey 22042 2,541,250 2/51 Hogg 220--24 2,652,147 9/53 Jenkins et al. 206-46 2,688,995 9/54 Wagoner. 2,916,141 12/59 Arnot 206-46 3,044,607 7/62 Hopper 206-46 3,048,297 8/62 Elliott et al. 220-245 3,066,824 12/62 Bostrom 220-60 FOREIGN PATENTS 530,069 12/40 Great Britain.

THERON EV. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

EARLE I. DRUMMOND, Examiner. 

1. A HERMETICALLY SEALED CONTAINER COMPRISNG: A METAL CYLINDRICAL SHELL MEMBER HAVING AT EACH END AN INTERNALLY FORMED SEAT DIAMETER COAXIAL WITH THE AXIS OF SAID SHELL MEMBER AND TWO METAL END DISK MEMBERS ONE EACH OF WHICH IS REMOVABLY CONTAINED WITHIN A SEAT DIAMETER AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SHELL MEMBER, EACH OF SAID DISK MEMBERS BEING IN PLANO-FORM AND HAVING A FREE STATE DIAMETER SLIGHTLY GREATER THAN THAT OF THE MATING SEAT DIAMETER IN SAID SHELL MEMBER FOR ENGAGING THE MATING SEAT DIAMETER IN SAID SHELL MEMBER WITH AN INTERFERENCE FIT STRESSING SAID DISK MEMBERS RADIALLY IN THE PLANE OF THE 